New report touts clean-car benefits for Colorado

DENVER – Coloradans—who frequently endure unhealthy air pollution largely from gasoline-burning vehicles—stand to receive major jobs, health, and energy savings benefits if the state adopts a strong Colorado Clean Cars plan that would speed up the transition to zero-emissions electric cars and light-duty trucks, a new report shows. “The Benefits of the Colorado Clean Car … Read more

18.5M in federal grant dollars to fund two Valley clean-air programs

“Grant funds such as these recognize the partnerships with Valley residents and farmers to expedite emission reductions in the San Joaquin Valley through the deployment of the latest and cleanest technologies,” stated Samir Sheikh, Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. “With these funds and matching … Read more

Taking stock – Part II: California – a frontlines leader in taking on GHG

There is no other place on Earth quite like California. In fact, if an independent nation, California’s economy would rank as the world’s fifth largest. That’s no idle boast. Neither is the fact that the Golden State is 105 million acres in size* on which some 40 million residents have staked out some kind of … Read more

California prepares for big-time EV big-rig transition

There’s an electric-truck wave headed for California. Although relatively slow in coming, make no mistake: the sweep will be thorough. “‘California continues to lead by example with first-of-its-kind standards to slash air pollution and toxics from heavy-duty trucks,’ said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Transportation.* ‘Where you live, work, or go to school should not … Read more

New ‘In-Use Locomotive’ rule in effect in California

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today [Apr. 27, 2023] passed a new rule aimed at reducing emissions from locomotives when they operate within the state. Under the In-Use Locomotive Regulation, operators will now be required to pay into a spending account, and the amount will be determined by the emissions they create while … Read more

Carbon-capture tech., lithium mining topics of two televised reports

This past weekend on both Saturday (Apr. 29, 2023) and Sunday (Apr. 30, 2023), I watched two of what I thought were powerful, made-for-television programs. The first “In Real Life,” the Mining for Clean Power, episode, and first aired on the Scripps News network on May 15, 2022, dealt with one aspect of the renewable energy … Read more

Unsafe levels of air pollution still persist across Europe, children among those most affected

More needs to be done to protect the health of children and adolescents from the negative impacts of air pollution, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality assessments published [Sunday, Apr. 23, 2023]. Air pollution causes over 1,200 premature deaths per year in people under the age of 18 in Europe and significantly … Read more

Nearly $1B in 2022 California Climate Investments funding to support communities impacted most by pollution, climate change

Abandoned, salt encrusted structures on Salton Sea’s the East shore.

SACRAMENTO — California today [Apr. 17, 2023] released its annual report for California Climate Investments, which highlights that 74% of investments from 2022 — almost $1 billion — supported communities and households facing greater economic and environmental challenges. The statewide California Climate Investments initiative is a critical component of the state’s transition to a carbon neutral, more equitable … Read more